Downtown Sandusky is a treat

This is one event the pumpkins are not looking forward to.

The citywide trick or treat is always on October 31, but each year another event lets families and their little ones preview their Halloween costumes during the day in the city by the bay.

The 17th Annual Downtown Trick or Treat will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, October 28 with several extras this year to keep the kids entertained throughout the day.

Starting at 11 a.m., kids are encouraged to go door-to-door in the business district with Columbus Avenue being the main artery of costumed traffic. Businesses along Washington Row, Market, and Water streets and Shoreline Drive also participate in the event.

One business has been there since the early days of the event and annually gets dressed up for the affair. Mr. Smith’s Coffee House always has a cauldron of candy ready to serve.

“We’ve enjoyed being part of the downtown merchants’ trick-or-treat event since we opened over 15 years ago, and we truly look forward to it,” says Mr. Smith’s Coffee House owner Sara Beard via a recent email interview. “Halloween is one of our favorite holidays, and we always dress up and for me personally, handing out candy to all the kids is my absolute favorite! I love seeing their costumes and interacting with them, and I love putting a smile on those little faces. It’s the best feeling ever.”

The event is organized by Sandusky Recreation and several features have made their way back since a socially distant offering in 2020.

The pumpkin drop, a fan favorite, returns with a couple dozen pumpkins being lifted high in the air with the Sandusky Fire Department’s ladder truck. All of the pumpkins then meet their demise on a target below in the middle of Columbus Avenue. The drop starts promptly at noon.

“The pumpkin drop is definitely a highlight of the day with all of the kids chanting ‘drop it, drop it’ to the firefighters on the ladder truck,” says Sandusky Recreation Superintendent Jason Werling. “I think the firefighters have more fun than the kids do.”

A family costume cruise on the Goodtime I was added to the day in the last couple of years. The boat leaves the Jackson Street Pier at 1 p.m. for a cruise on Sandusky Bay and makes a good venue for sorting and sampling candy.

This year, a new feature will be added with the showing of Hocus Pocus on the Firelands Health LED Screen on the Jackson Street Pier. The movie starts at 3 p.m. and is sponsored by the Sandusky Witches Walk.

There may be one more trick up Sandusky Rec’s sleeve if all goes well in the week leading up to the event.

“We are planning on a free skate on the CIVISTA Bank Ice Rink as a preview to the skating season on the pier, weather permitting,” Werling adds.